R.I.P. Voters' Coalition, but not too long

August 28, 2013|By Sun Sentinel Editorial Board

After three decades of bringing people together, the Voters' Coalition of Palm Beach County threw in the towel. The age of its leaders played a role, but the one-time influential civic organization faced a far bigger problem that simply tore the group apart: polarization.

Meetings once famous for solutions morphed into echo chambers for recriminations and empty talking points. Republicans scoffed at ideas from Democrats, and Democrats turned deaf ears to Republicans. No wonder the coalition leaders opted to disband.

"It served a purpose all these years, but times have changed," Harold Ostrow, a former coalition leader told Sun Sentinel reporter Andy Reid. "We are not in keeping with the times."

It's a sad epitaph for a group of volunteers who initially came together in Delray Beach to change a listless women's coalition into a potent civic organization to address voter apathy.

In 1994, the group worked hard to draw attention to the primary races for county school board, which featured 21 candidates seeking four open seats. That same primary, unfortunately, saw almost half of the 60 candidates for county and state races win re-election without opposition, a list that included two county commissioners, six legislators and 18 judges.

Now it seems everybody is involved and talking — unfortunately, at each other. In an era of extreme partisanship and growing incivility, the Voters' Coalition became destined for extinction.

There's no doubt that polarization is now part of the American fabric. One only has to look at the constant bickering and ongoing political posturing between the Obama administration and congressional Republicans, particularly in the House of Representatives.

Partisan disputes have stalled what used to be slam-dunk legislation that both Democrats and Republicans once readily embraced, such as agriculture and transportation budget bills. Not lately. Supporters who had hoped to update the nation's farming and transportation budgets have had to settle for the status quo of continuing resolutions, thanks to political gridlock.

Closer to home, the tendency toward rowdy behavior ended a current events forum held at a place known for decorum — the Delray Beach Public Library. Officials banned the weekly group in 2010 after unruly participants — mostly seniors — failed to act like grown-ups and instead resorted to name-calling and, on one occasion, had a fistfight in the parking lot.

A similar fate has now befallen the Voters' Coalition of Palm Beach County. In its prime, the coalition hosted political debates, often attracting prominent candidates for state and federal offices. The civic group's endorsements were coveted.

But partisan acrimony began infiltrating its ranks. Politicians who failed to secure its endorsement began labeling the group as biased toward Democrats. Coalition officials invited Republicans to air their grievances, but the divide proved too great.

"It's kind of like a litmus test of where we are as a political nation," said state Rep. Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach. "We've lost sight of the important things, like talking about the issues."

Given the many pressing issues facing our region and state, we need a nonpartisan civic group able to rise above the partisan din and provide a place for civil discourse and a clear examination of our political leaders.

The voters' coalition may be resting in peace, but it's not too soon for a new crop of committed volunteers to assume the mission of creating a civil, civic listening post.